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NBN/Sparke Triathlon - My First Ever! - TriathlonSprint


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Newcastle, NSW
Australia
Sparke
22C / 72F
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 01m 54s
Overall Rank = 100/225
Age Group = 20-29
Age Group Rank = 24/45
Pre-race routine:

Went for a ride of the course before the day before the event, and a short swim to see just how damn cold the water was going to be :)

Slept surprisingly well the night before the race and woke up around 5:45am (waaayyy earlier than my day to day routine). Had a breakfast bar and a red powerade (cause red makes you go faster!), before going down to the beach and watching the "diehards" start the swim leg.

Nerves were not to bad and was really looking forward to the race!
Event warmup:

Not much warmup, listened to race briefing before stretching for the swim, had to wait for 15 minutes on the beach in cold 18 degree weather so much of that was not of much use. Tried to remain calm and just enjoy the experience.
Swim
  • 10m 49s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

What an experience that was, got terribly lost and found it very hard to find my bearings when swimming. Feet and arms going everywhere but to be honest not as rough as I was made to believe. Main problem was not heading in the right direction.

Did not feel as tired as I thought, must have been the adrenalin flowing, and to be honest, that time for 500m is just about my PB!!
What would you do differently?:

Learn to swim and look at the same time, move the the outside of the pack rather than back/inside to help in moving around bouy and avoiding some hold-ups.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

My first transition wasn't too bad, the tip of the water to wash the feet down was tops, T1 included a 250m run which actually probably helped me make up some time. Elastic laces were the best idea I had.
What would you do differently?:

Learn to mount the bike on the run, put on those damn socks faster!
Bike
  • 33m 5s
  • 15 kms
  • 27.20 km/hr
Comments:

Probably the most dissapointing of the legs, hills and wind really knocked me around and dont feel like I had a good bike leg at all. Doesn't mean it wasn't fun though!
What would you do differently?:

More training on hills and work on smoother gear changes. If possible ride the course a couple of times before the race.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

T2 was very fast as only had to rack the bike and take of the helmet, in and out nice and quick.
What would you do differently?:

Not too much really.
Run
  • 17m 59s
  • 4 kms
  • 04m 30s  min/km
Comments:

To be honest, it felt like a struggle, but as is quite often the case with me, the runs that feel the worse tend to be the best in terms of time. Time for this leg is a PB for me!! including training, so the event obviously pushed me along.

In hindsight quite happy, different than the feeling straight after the race.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder in the middle third of the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Lots of smiles, oranges and water with some light stretching. Made use of the free massage facility which was great.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training on the bike and the ability to swim straight (and faster) really were the two main things.

Event comments:

What an experience!! ... had a ball and really enjoyed the whole event atmosphere. Funnily enough, I had always stated to friends that my aim was to finish in the top 100 (even though I thought that was a bit optimistic for my first) ... where did I finish? ... 100th!! ... well there you go!

Some aspects of my race could have been better, but hey!! .. it is my first and I hope not my last so no need to complain.

If only I had done this early in the tri season, as most events are now finished, I will now have to work towards next season.

Thanks to everyone who has "Inspired me" through the year, had a great time and seems the tri-bug has bitten once again!!

You can view some piccies of me and my two workmates who roped me into this below :) or full size with comments in my Album.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2004-11-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:49 | 500 meters | 02m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 38/45
Overall: 176/225
Performance: Average
Suit: No
Course: A zigzag course, out, back to the beach and then out again in a protected bay.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 19C / 66F Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:33:05 | 15 kms | 27.20 km/hr
Age Group: 18/45
Overall: 100/225
Performance: Below average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Course was much more hilly than I thought, part of what happens when you dont live near the location of the race. Most of my training was on flats so this course really knocked me around.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:17:59 | 04 kms | 04m 30s  min/km
Age Group: 17/45
Overall: 63/225
Performance: Good
Course: Mainly flat smooth footpaths for most of the trip along the foreshore. Head wind/tail wind died off a little.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %0
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2005-03-22 2:18 AM

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Veteran
196
100252525
Sydney
Subject: NBN/Sparke Triathlon - My First Ever!


2005-03-22 4:49 AM
in reply to: #132607

Member
32
25
Wellington
Subject: RE: NBN/Sparke Triathlon - My First Ever!
Great work Adam You did pretty damn well - must have been all those weetbix [and some training too!]. Bet you're still feeling over the moon. Have you got any events planned for next summer yet? Take care. Susan.
2005-03-22 6:11 AM
in reply to: #132607

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Extreme Veteran
348
10010010025
Melbourne
Subject: RE: NBN/Sparke Triathlon - My First Ever!
Ahhh - finally - the eagerly awaited race report from Akuma!
SOOOO very very well done and it was such a pleasure to read your report - I felt like I was there with you - your run time was AWESOME
Looks like you have lost some weight too- you look fantastic in the photos.
Glad also to read that the tri bug has officially bitten you - you trained hard, raced well and did something most people never dream about doing, let alone get up and do! It's just such a wonderful achievement and I am really proud of you! And to finish 100th is great for your forst triathlon, really great for any triathlon - dream big I say!
Good on you and make sure you enjoy a well deserved rest!
M
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